Heaven's Venom

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Band Name Kataklysm
Album Name Heaven's Venom
Type Album
Released date 13 August 2010
Labels Nuclear Blast
Recorded at JFDstudio
Music StyleDeath Metal
Members owning this album181


 A Soulless God
 Determined (Vows of Vengeance)
 Faith Made of Shrapnel
 Push the Venom
 Hail the Renegade
 As the Wall Collapses
 Numb and Intoxicated
 At the Edge of the World
 Suicide River
 Blind Saviour

 Das Feuer Lebt

Total playing time: 50:08

Review @ Demogorefest

12 August 2010
For anyone who has listened to metal within the last few years, the name Kataklysm should definantly ring a bell, no matter how much, or how little you listen to the genre, they have climbed their way to the top of the death metal pecking order over the last 15 years, mainly with their last few releases, which seem to be increasingly more melodic with each passing album, and Heaven's Venom is no exception.
The first track, "a soulless god", has one of the best guitar melodies/solos i've ever heard in a Kataklysm song, i honestly think they're genre here needs to be changed to Melodic Death metal. "Determined (vows of Vengence)" is a bit more faster, yet theres still traces of Melodic Death metal throughout, which doesn't have me complaining, i'm a big fan of most Melodic Death Metal bands, and Kataklysm has blended it in with their traditional Death metal sound quite well in my opinion.
Over the last few years,it seems like more and more Kataklysm fans seem to be upset that they've changed their sound, to that i say there are alot more worse directions they could've taken with their music, instead of their melodic guitar harmonies, they could be playing the all-too-popular breakdown style that has infected so many otherwise decent death metal bands today. Some critics say they should go back to their old sound off of "Sorcery" or "Shadows and Dust", honestly, as much as those were great albums, what sets this band apart from most death metal bands is their ability to change their sound over the years, if every release after "Shadows and Dust" sounded like that album, i doubt they'd have made anyone too happy, and Heaven's Venom is another step in a slightly new direction for them.
Over the span of their last 3 albums, Kataklysm seems to have been catapulted into the mainstream death metal circuit, within the ranks of bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Morbid Angel, and Dethklok (if they can be considered an actual "band"). And they are one of the few death metal bands that has truly earned their fame, many of the aforementioned bands are solely famous due to the integrity of one or two albums (ie. "Hammer Smashed Face" by Cannibal Corpse, or the album "Altars of Madness" by Morbid Angel, or Obituary's "Slowly we Rot"). While Kataklysm isn't usually considered Synonymous with a certain album or song (though we all have are personal favorites, there isn't a vastly Unanimous vote on the "Greatest works yet").
Though Heaven's Venom is not my personal favorite Kataklysm release (Serenity in Fire is probably my favorite), it is still nonetheless, another great album by one of the finest examples of Death Metal that the genre has to offer


5 Like

hack - 13 August 2010: Thanks for your informative review. I'll have to check this one out, to see how they've evolved their sound.
Demogorefest - 13 August 2010: all of their songs are up on youtube, i was kinda excited about this release so i published it early. i wouldn't say it's their best album, but it's still Kataklysm nonetheless, so it won't disappoint, it's a little slower and melodic than their other albums though
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